The Indian Cryogenics Council (ICC) is a professional society with its registered headquarter at the Jadavpur University, Kolkata. It was founded in the year 1975 by the great visionary, Prof. Akshayananda Bose of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science (IACS), Kolkata. The historical decision to form ICC was taken during a Cryogenic Symposium held at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur in May 1975. I had the privilege of representing National Physical Laboratory (NPL), my alma mater, and delivering the invited talk. Prof. Bose succeeded in his mission to bring together, low temperature physicists, cryogenic engineers, and the cryo-industry of the country on a single platform, the ICC. In the following year (1976), ICC also started publishing a scientific journal “Indian Journal of Cryogenics” which has not only been published regularly to-date but has become very popular among the Indian cryogenic community. ICC organizes “National Conference on Cryogenics and Superconductivity (NCCS)” every alternate year which attracts peers, young researchers from all the prestigious institutes in India. The latest conference NCCS-29 was held at IUAC, New Delhi in Nov. 2024. ICC also had the privilege of holding the twin International Conference (ICEC-26 and ICMC-2016) in the year 2016. ICC promotes close collaboration between the cryogenic research institutions and the industry.
Although the word “Cryogenics” became popular among the general public in India during 1990s in the wake of the denial of the cryogenic engine technology to Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for its Satellite Launch Vehicle Programme by Russia, yet the history of cryogenics/low temperature research in India is very old. As early as 1952, the founder director of NPL, Sir K. S. Krishnan (FRS) acquired a helium liquefier (ADL-50) and established “Low Temperature Physics Division” comprising of physicists trained at Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratory and Cambridge Uni. Low temperature studies (down to 1Kelvin) flourished at NPL for decades. This culture soon spread to other reputed institutions like TIFR Bombay, IISc. Bangalore and later to DAE Centres, IITs and universities.
During 1990s a number of ambitious projects were launched in India at a few selected research centres. These were: Particle Accelerators based upon superconducting magnets and cavities, at IUAC, New Delhi and TIFR Bombay, Fusion Reactor SST-1, using large superconducting magnets at IPR, Gandhinagar, and Superconducting Cyclotron at VECC, Kolkata. ICC too expanded its network. The life membership swelled to over 600 and our symposia and conferences too became most awaited events.
The year 2025 is the Golden Jubilee Year of the ICC and I take this opportunity to congratulate all our esteemed fellows and life members on this occasion. ICC today is a vibrant organization the credit for which goes to our illustrious past presidents and their team members who have put in their relentless efforts for strengthening the ICC year after year. I thank them all, whole heartedly.
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